Island Bound
by thegolddawg
Summary: After the defeat of Calamity Ganon, Zelda wishes to discover what is beyond the boundaries of Hyrule; she takes her mother's ship, the Great Hylia, to head across the Necluda Sea and try to find what awaits her at the other side. She has no idea of the chaos she is bound to go through.
1. The Necluda Storm

Introduction

The Great Hylia drifted majestically across the Necluda Sea, the navy waves crashing against its wooden walls. The sails of the ship gently stretched in the direction they were heading- the unknown. Hyrule was well known by its people, up to its furthest borders, but what about... beyond them?

"East- we must keep going to the east. We can make a stop at Eventide Island to make final preparations before leaving." The Princess Zelda leaned over a large map of Hyrule, pointing to a small island to the far right labelled "Eventide". Several other men of the crew joined her, following her finger as she slowly moved it along a marked line.

"Yes, your Highness. We'll tell the Captain." They left the room, leaving a fourth young man behind. He said nothing but sat and studied the creased map without the Princess noticing him as she tapped away on her Sheikah Slate. His eyes moved up to see hers, emerald green and shining with the blue glow of the tablet screen reflecting in them.

"Oh, Link! I'm sorry I didn't notice you. Is everything well?"

No reply. He looked away awkwardly, swallowing and nodding slightly.

"I'm glad to hear it." She forced a smile onto her face, trying to push away any concerns for the young knight.

He's fine. He's just quiet. He always has been.

After the Calamity had been destroyed, Zelda released of her prison and Link of his burden to defeat the age old evil, the Knight had continued to protect the Princess silently, as he had one hundred years prior. She had her occasional concerns about how he felt about it all, his memories, Ganon- her... Even if she had apologized, she still felt guilty about the way she had treated him when he was first appointed; as if he was nothing compared to royalty. But the reality of her thoughts was different- she was jealous, convinced she was truly the heir to a throne of nothing but failure. The sword on the back of the knight compared to the Princess' non-existent sealing power was everything. But she realised... realised that the only way her power could awaken was if she followed his example. He never complained, not even when he was on the edge of death itself, while she had only cried and raged at herself. So it was; she thought of all the times Link threw himself carelessly into battle for her and the power was awoken, too late or not. With the coming of Link's death, it only got stronger.

Chapter I: The Storm of Necluda

Dark clouds were splashed all over the pale sky. The breeze had evolved into a violent wind, causing the sails to flap back and forth.

"The sea is enraged today, your Highness. It is unsafe for you to be here; you should return to your cabin, you will be safer there." The captain scolded, making a hand gesture to another member of the crew to leave him in charge of driving the ship and running down the steps to Zelda. Her blue tunic fluttered in the winds.

"I'll be quite alright, Captain; although, it is quite cold today. Very well. I shall leave you in charge, but do tell me if anything happens."

"Thank you, your Highness."

The Princess returned to her room as it began to rain, Link following closely behind. She had always been intrigued by anything and everything, and she wouldn't want to miss any action taking place up on deck.

Back in her room, Zelda was sat at a desk, writing in her diary (which was in quite good condition considering it was left in Hyrule Castle through the Calamity) about all the things she had seen so far on her journey- Great birds much larger than the ones they had in Hyrule and small Islands rich with the most beautiful flowers she had ever seen, excluding her personal favorite, the Silent Princess. The last thing that was familiar to them was the far sight of East Necluda, still visible but shrinking as they went. Rain tapped on the window, dripping and distorting the image of the watery horizon past it. Thunder began to rumble above, light flashing through the clouds. On a couple of occasions, lighting struck, making the Princess jump in her seat a little.

Today, the sea is rough among the storm. The captain sent me back to my cabin in case of danger, but I would rather watch the crew work- it's fascinating! The language they use to cooperate is like a language of its own, so much different from the Hylian we speak today, even if the individual words make sense to me, the phrases they use differ so! On another note, I finally convinced Link to play chess with me, and may I add, he plays well! You know, I worry for him. Only occasionally, but I do. He told me everything that troubled him recently, and I can understand- he told me that he was the one constantly worrying for me, and, to be honest, likewise. I can only hope we can resolve things soon, as a team. How I would love to travel together rather than as a princess and her knight! Things can get awfully tense between us; I just want to talk to him, have a full conversation with him, not speak to him and expect an answer. Now, I must go... the storm is making me quite nauseous... hopefully we will touch upon land soon, even though we have only been on this ship for about half and hour!

Zelda turned around from her wooden chair to see Link sat on his bed, speaking to the master sword under his breath.

"It's okay. We are in good hands."

The sword emitted it's otherworldly light again.

"I know. But I don't think that is necessary at the moment."

Zelda understood the conversation. She had lied to Link the day she said she couldn't hear the sword speak- well, partially- it was merely sleeping. She was

sleeping. Fi. That's why she couldn't hear her.

"Master, but do you truly remeber me?"

"I don't know- I think so. Skyloft. I remeber it all."

"And why is talking to her grace "not necessary"?"

"Because," Link whispered, "It will just be another distraction to both of us. I'd rather not." He looked up at Zelda, who was watching them both speaking.

"My apologies, your Highness. I was just thinking out loud." He sheathed the sword quickly and knelt in front of the princess.

"Your highness?" Zelda's expression had changed from calm and inquisitive to slightly nauseous and concerned.

"Your highness, are you okay?"

She stood up, swaying from side to side a little.

"Yes, the ship is just a little violent today. No worries. I just need to lie down for a bit." She fell, being stopped by Link. He held her by the arms and helped her onto her bed.

"Thank you, Link. Could you go and check if the crew is fine, please?"

Without a word, he climbed the stairs up to the deck.

The crew ran around frantically, following the loud orders of the captain as accurately as possible. Rain pelted down onto the wooden floor boards, drenching Link's blue champions tunic.

"Link! Go find the Princess and stay with her until I give further orders! Understood!?"

Before he could give a response, the ship shook violently, knocking most of the crew over.

"Go!"

The knight made a run for the Princess' cabin, and found her clinging for her life onto the bedpost. She grabbed his arm as the storm tugged at the ship again. The windows swung open, cracking the glass as they did. Water splashed in, soaking the floors and the two stood by the bed, their blue champions tunics drenched already by the rain. All of a sudden, the Great Hylia let out one last breath, tipping everyone to one side, many being thrown off of the ship. Water flooded the deck, shining in the light of the sun through dark clouds. The wooden floor boards were dark with water, cracking and creaking. Thunder continued to clap, echoing over the Necluda seas. There were many shouts and screams coming from the deck, members of the crew holding onto anything they could get hold of to survive.

In the princess' cabin, chaos struck. She and her knight reached out for something to grab, but failed, instead merely brushing the floorboards. Things fell off of shelves and out of boxes, crashing onto the floor. There was moment where it stopped, and the two had a chance to get a hold of something. They were shaken by the ship, their grip weakening with every movement.

Until she slipped.

Zelda hit against the wall, falling unconscious on impact. Link slid across the floors, his boots squeaking as he did so. He tried to catch her by the collar, instead running his fingers through her blonde-ginger hair. He felt his hands go cold as the water spit at him. His drenched tunic stuck to him, making it all the more uncomfortable and difficult to try and move about. He fell onto his face, unable to get back up as the ship teetered back and forth, until it had enough; the mast broke off, falling and swinging the ship all the way round. People swam this way and that, avoiding peices of driftwood that had broken from the Great Hylia- the once beautiful ship that belonged to Zelda's mother. It was submerged in a misty blue ocean, lost forever. Fish weaved through it, shimmering silvers and bronze in the pale blue light.

The ceiling was the ground and the ground was the ceiling, filled up with water. Everything floated- the chests, desks- Zelda's diary. He grabbed it and slipped it under his belt, before swimming out of the window send upwards to the light. He took a few deep breaths before seeing a blurry image of something- or someone, better said- sinking below the water. The bright blue of their tunic stood out among the dull browns of the crew. Zelda.

There was a silence, only distant thunder and crashing peices of wood underwater. The Princess slowly sank down, catching Link's attention. He swam downwards as fast as he could, catching her by the waist and pulling her back to the surface, taking deep gasps of air. Multiple peices of the ship bobbed up and down on the water, perfect to float two one-hundred-and-seventeen year old Hylians to... somewhere. Hopefully safe.

"Master, I cannot locate the other members of the crew or any nearby dry land. Master. Master?" Link collapsed on the makeshift raft, staring up into the sky. His breathing slowed.

"Thank you, Fi..." He closed his eyes, but his hand moved down to feel if Zelda's diary was safe. It was there. Soaked, but there. As long as he knew Zelda would be fine, he would be fine.

She was the priority.

Thunder clapped above them, the rain still raging. This was what Zelda had read about in the books back at the castle- the Necluda Storms. The worst in Hyrule, the cause of the loss of many ships. This is why the rest of the world was uncharted- no one got past the storms. Even the best Zora Schools couldn't make it, or Rito flocks. The Gorons had tried, as well, but to no prevail. It was as if the place was enchanted or cursed to keep any Hylians or any surrounding races in Hyrule. Zelda had theorised that the Calamity had something to do with it, or maybe because the Sheikah tech didn't go that far out. Whatever it was, it wasn't normal.


	2. Rito Feathers

Chapter 2: Rito Feathers

Zelda's felt cold water flowing between her fingers, while her face sank into the ground. The sound of rolling waves and rustling leaves seeped into her head. It was warm but freezing, sunny but dark. After a few minutes, she gained the will to open her eyes to reveal a long, white beach. Foamy lines of the sea drifted in and out of the shore, sizzling as they did. The sun beat down onto the sand, the breeze pushing the warn air about.

Lost... I'm lost. I'm actually lost. What... what am I supposed to do now?

She stood up, with a pulsating headache on the side of her head, before looking around to see Link lying on the sand and few metres away from her.

"Link! Link! Please, don't do this to me again! Wake up!" This was a well-practiced phrase she had used over the hero's journey. He gave several coughs before sitting up, his eyes darting about in search for Zelda. She knelt next to him, a comforting smile reassuring him of her safety.

"Your highness, I'm sorry I fell unconscious! I was caught off guard! It will not happen ag-"

"Link, it is fine. You are safe and that is what is most important."

But it's not. I'm not important. She is the Princess, there is a Kingdom that needs her. I'm only a knight.

"Where are we?"

"Not anywhere in Hyrule, that is for sure," Link stood up, followed by Zelda.

"And I'm not sure where we came from, either. We... we are stranded here."

The centre of the small island was cramped with tall and bony palm fruit trees, their leaves casting a perfect shade upon the sandy grass. Zelda sat on the stump of a fallen tree, the Sheikah Slate held over her head in hope of a signal.

"Nothing," She sighed.

"No towers or Shrines nearby. Why would they be built here anyway?"

The screen was a navy blue, the Sheikah censor silent and dull. The time was eleven thirty, and the temperature was twenty-two degrees centigrade- All important information for the princess; this could be their final destination ever- no. She pushed the thought aside and kept fiddling with the slate. Still nothing.

Night crawled up behind them, the cold beginning to sink in. Link made a small fire with a shard of his broken flame blade (which he was quite dissapointment about, to be honest; it was a great sword) and they roasted some Palm fruits over it. The moon was as silver as the blade of the Master Sword, as bright as the midday sun.

"Do you think anyone will come to rescue us...? We don't even know where we are, let alone them."

Link shrugged, biting down on the dark green fruit he had picked earlier.

"Hm. I'm sure we can figure something out soon enough. We know which side of the island we arrived on, which is a start."

Link, without a word, drew the Master Sword and layed it across his laps.

"The master sword...?"

"Fi. Her name is Fi."

"Sorry- can Fi help us? She may be able to pick up other signals, or maybe even tell us some information on this place."

"Fi, do you know where we are?"

"My files on this area are limited;

name: not found

location: Far East of the Necluda Sea

Details: Found once by a Rito traveler that went by the name "Pájaro Birdsong". Any records of this Island have been lost or burnt after he was lost on his return here to continue his research."

Zelda's ears perked up at hearing the name.

"Pájaro Birdsong! I remeber reading about him as a child! Maybe he's here!"

"No," Link sighed.

"That was one hundred years ago. He'd be dead by now."

The mood once again was dampened, but this time there was no one to save it.

"I'm... going to get some sleep." The Princess layed down, resting her head on the dirt.

"Good Night, Link."

"Good night, princess."

As the sun rose, submerging the land in a golden light, so did Zelda. She was dissapointed when she realised it hadn't all been a dream she would've had from her castle bedroom. She sat up, brushing the twigs and dirt from her hair, until she realised something.

Link was gone. He had left her unguarded, unlike every day she had spent outside the castle; always with Link.

"Link? Link-" She was cut off by by a rustling of dirt and sticks behind her, along with a glimpse of something red in the corner of her eye. A ball of light grew in her right hand as she readied for a potential attack.

"Show yourself! I am Zelda Bosphoramus Hyrule, Princess of Hyrule and in my hands is the sealing power passed down through the endless number of incarnations I have gone through!" The sound continued to move around her, confusing her senses and distorting the spinning world around the Princess.

"Your highness?" Link stood behind her, holding several bundles of wood in his arms.

"Link?" She looked around frantically to try and find whatever it was that had been taunting her in her Knight's absence.

"Link, it's still here..." Her voice was quiet and cautious.

"There's nothing here, though... Well, I will stay alert. By the way, I want to show you something."

He rummaged in his pocket and pulled out something blue in a clenched fist. He opened it to reveal five, slightly muddy Rito feathers the color of the sky.

"Oh my... I... where did you find them?"

Link pointed to the south of the Island.

"There's a whole camp set out there. It's abandoned, but it sure looks like a research camp."

"Then That's where we're headed." Zelda chirped, her spirits lifted. Link watched her, his heart skipping a beat as she took him by the wrist and began running towards the camp.

How does she do it? She's a princess but she's always treated me so well. She doesn't need to say thank you. It's just... my duty.

The old Rito camp was in ruins, papers scattered over the dirt and a tent collapsed and torn up. Several books with leather covers were layed upside down on the ground, as well, the colors faded and worn out.

"Incredible," Zelda began, "Actual signs of life on this Island so remote!"

She picked up the sheets, piling them up in her arms.

"we can order these up and maybe even find a map!" With one last sheet left, she had her hopes high to find anything helpful. She flipped it over and saw something else, though.

THE WATCHER

IS

ETERNAL

The words were painfully scratched onto the paper in an emerald ink. Zelda had nothing to say about it, only terrifying thoughts going through her mind similar to that if the Calamity.

"What is it, your Highness?" She passed Link the paper. His emotionless face was replaced by confusion.

"The watcher...?"


	3. The Watcher

Chapter 3: The Watcher

"So... that thing you saw... what did it look like?"

"The thing is, I didn't see it. It was just a red blur..."

Zelda and Link sat by a fire, studying the papers on by one.

"Look," The Princess picked up one of the sheets which displayed diagrams of enormous claws and fangs. Each one was labelled as following:

"Ivy Bear Claw- used for digging and climbing"

"Yeti Wolf Fang- used for tearing flesh of hunted animals"

"Watcher Claw- Poisonous, used for attacking and climbing/burrowing into the ground."

"So... it's like an animal?" Zelda said, unsure on how to put all the ideas into one sentence. She heard how blunt she sounded and decided to correct herself.

"I mean, judging by the image and observations of this Rito, it seems as if we have some sort of wolf-bear hybrid chasing us."

Link didn't reply.

"Do you... do you remember when you were a child? You must have learnt about the Rito at some point. I did."

Link didn't reply.

"He was famous for going beyond the Hylian Borders. That's why he left for this Island. My father always spoke of how we must stay safe within the borders. It was fine to go a little out of bounds, but to go this far... he didn't like it. He sent many of our soldiers to go and find him, but to no prevail."

This time, Link opened his mouth to speak, but said still nothing. Zelda looked at him, listening to his silence, until he finally cooperated with her.

"...Did... I'm sorry to change the subject quite so abruptly, but... did I have many friends before the Calamity?"

Impa had told Zelda to let Link remeber everything naturally, but she couldn't resist pushing his mind a little.

"Aside from the Champions, yes. Although you were always shy, you had your fair share of the Knights to spend time with in your free time."

Zelda sighed, looking back to the time when things were... normal. Link spoke again, interrupting her thoughts.

"Thank you."

The Princess wasn't sure if she had heard him right.

Thank you? But what have I done?

She replied with what she thought he was talking about.

"It's the least I can do. Your memories are very important, and there are things you need to know that you might not remeber naturally."

"No," Her knight interrupted, not a usual habit of his.

"I mean Thank you. For everything. Ever." He felt he was adding too much onto the end of his sentence and decided to stop.

"Link, you... what have I done though? Of course I didn't go through the Calamity on my own, and my power... it only awakened because of you." She stopped dead in her tracks and went bright red in the face.

Did I actually just say that...? What is he going to say?

Link swallowed and looked away.

There was a moment of silence.

"Princess, I-"

"-Need to go and further investigate what the watcher is! I'll be back by morning. We'll never get off the Island with that thing following us... Good night... Link."

Great work, Zelda. Great. Work.

She unclipped the Sheikah Slate from her belt as she stood up and began heading towards the centre of the Island. Link hesitated to follow her, but did anyway. She heard his footsteps behind her but shook her head and ignored.

The woods were dark, only silvery moonlight glinting through the palm leaves every time the breeze shook them. The crunching of twigs followed Zelda and her knight as they trudged in and out of the shadows, weaving between skinny palm trees. The atmosphere was cold and uncomfortable, but the Princess refused to let it bother her. Link, however, seemed agitated by something. Something he could not quite describe. It was as if... as if he was being watched.

The watcher. It's here.

He drew the Master sword silently and caught up to Zelda.

"Princess," He whispered. She turned to look at him. The same rustling she had heard earlier echoed around them.

The silence returned, and then it dissipated into sound again, up and down the trees. It went on for at least a minute before it seemed to remained still. Zelda froze. She felt as if her heart was beating so fast it would start to make a humming noise; quite the contrary- it froze.

Link.

A silhouette, twice the height of Link stood behind him. A glimmer of moonlight revealed its face.

It had thick fur, a dark grey, with brown streaks across it wide dish-like face. It's eyes craved to kill, beady and black like the eyes of no other animal. Like a wolf, its fangs were long and sharp, ready to fight like daggers.

It's just like a Lynel but... a bear. I can take him on.

How wrong he was. He performed a spin attack, swinging right into the gargantuan hands of the creature. He held onto the hilt of the Master Sword, hanging inches above the ground- he couldn't let go. If he lost the sword, he wouldn't be able to protect-

Zelda.

Zelda released a ball of light from her palm, knocking it back, not enough to release Link; but it gave him time. He brought his legs up and gave a powerful kick to the monster's throat, dropping to the ground soon after. It gave a powerful whine and scurried off, burrowing under a nearby tree. The sound of digging faded as the distance between him and the two grew.

"Link!" The Princess knelt by her knight.

"Link are you OK?" He stood, picking up his sword and scanning for any other monsters.

Nothing. He's gone.

"Yes, your Highness. I'm fine. You?" She nodded, relieved.

"Well... now we know what it looks like. We can build on that; it means we're one step closer to leaving this cursed Island."

Daylight broke free from the grasps of the horizon, once again shining golden across the Island. Zelda and Link were starting to feel the effects of being stranded for so long.

"OK... So we know he lives under the ground," Sighed the Princess. She was getting rather tired of this game.

"but that's it." She grumbled under her breath as she tapped away on the Sheikah Slate, making notes.

"Princess," Link began.

"I'm sorry. Really, I'm sorry. It's my fault you left for the woods, therefore my fault we got attacked." Zelda closed her eyes and tried to calm down. This was a game they were both tired of.

"Well, we're safe, now. Let's leave it there." She would have loved to tell him everything on her mind right now, but she knew that would surely damage his memory-less mind.

This night was particularly cold, the temperature decreasing only a little could have caused a frost. Even Link's fingers were going numb against the freezing hilt of the Master Sword as he trained under the navy sky.

I wasn't good enough earlier. I failed. I must train until I get it right.

It was difficult for him; as he had told Zelda one hundred years back. the burden he had to carry, the amount of people watching-everyone in Hyrule knew about him. The thoughts only gave him more courage, but... they also took everything from him. If he returned to his nice house in Hateno Village and had a normal life there, people would lose hope in him, and he could never let that happen, even if he did, every once in a while, wish he could just eat a casual dinner at his casual house with a companion like Zel-

No; I'll just keep going. Silently. It's worked for a hundred years, and Zelda- I mean, the Princess is still alive.

The truth was, he was afraid. He had always been afraid. It was how he was raised. One mistake and punishment was sure to follow; but it made him stronger.

No mistakes means no punishment- nobody getting hurt.

 **Hello, it's me again! I hope you have enjoyed this fanfic so far, and if you have, I'm sure it'll keep on going with your sup port! Do leave a review, favorite and follow this fanfic, too! See you in (hopefully) three days!**


	4. The Sea and the Slate

Chapter 4: The Sea and the Slate

The blue and orange glow of the Sheikah Slate cast a grainy reflection onto the sand. Behind its screen, Zelda's green eyes darted from right to left, absorbing every word she read through. Link sat near her at a respectable distance, expected from a knight.

"And... Done! Look- I've set the Sheikah censor to "The Watcher". It registered a new species of... thing while we were getting attacked, even though it didn't get an image, isn't that amazing! This is why I studied ancient tech, it's so ahead of us..."

Link listened to her voice, going on and on. He didn't mind when she did that. He didn't mind when she zoned out into her world of study and ancient tech. It was nice. It made him sure she was happy and alive; and that made him happy- but it wasn't the time to think about that.

Just listen.

He shuffled closer to Zelda to see what she was doing on the slate- bad decision. She looked up from the tablet and turned to see Link; he did the same. Both of them froze, face to face, closer than they'd ever been.

Oh. My. Goddess.

The knight made a stuttering attempt at an excuse, then tried to move back to where he was, but fell backwards off of the log they were sitting on. He really didn't have the will to get back up, too embarrassed and terrified of receiving another awkward reaction from Zelda.

Great.

But, it was quite the contrary; she began sniggering, then burst out into laughter.

"Zelda, I-"

Zelda!? She's the princess, you pathetic excuse for a knight, what was I thinking!

Even better.

WONDERFUL.

The princess took several deep gasps and turned to look down at him.

"Link, did you just- I've never heard you call me that before... you know, it's nice to be called by my actual name. You really don't have to call me "Princess" or "your highness". Really."

"But... You're the princess, and your appointed knight should adress you in that manner. that's what your father said."

Zelda smiled, glad that Link remembered so much already.

"Yes, but that was a hundred years ago. Now, we have to work as a team."

A team... Zelda's diary!

He took the now dry book (which he may or may not have read) from under his belt and held it up.

"Speaking of which... This belongs to you."

Her eyes widened and put her hands over her mouth.

"Link, you... You saved my diary..."

He didn't reply, but gave a smile, hidden from Zelda's point of view.

"Did you read it?"

His hand dropped.

Dammit.

Zelda but giggled, rolling her eyes at him.

"Link, after everything you've done for both me and Hyrule, I guess a peek in my diary isn't a punishable offense. Unless..."

A grin twitched onto her face.

"Go on, Link, that's gonna be tonight's dinner!" Zelda laughed, watching Link splash around in the water, his hands darting up and down in hope of catching a fish.

"I'm trying, Your Highness, they're going rather fast..."

He finally got hold of something. It flopped about trying to escape, but to no prevail; Link's grasp was too strong on it. From the beach, the Princess jumped up and down in excitement.

I do it for her. She seems to be enjoying it, and to be honest... I am, too.

He waded to the shore, where the thin waves drifted in and out. Zelda waited for him there, laughing and clapping- she was happy. Definitely.

"Well done! There. You've paid you're debt. That'll teach you not to go into a girl's personal diary!"

"OK..." Link shivered. "But can I put my shirt back on now?"

"You may."

He sighed, still smiling a little, to Zelda's surprise.

"Today was fun," Said Zelda, chewing on the roasted fish Link had caught earlier.

"Thank you... and it was wonderful seeing you so happy."

"Likewise, your Highness-"

"Please, call me Zelda." She interrupted. She would be sure that by the time they left the Island, he would know that. Zelda; the traditional Royal Family name.

"Well, then... Likewise, Zelda."

"Yes. Yes, calling me Zelda suits you quite nicely. I think... I think that you should keep calling me that, Okay?"

"Yes, Zelda."

"...and don't overuse it." The princess added. Link replied with a laugh, which made her heart jump a little.

He laughed... he has a nice laugh. I like it.

"Link... I want to talk to you about something... please don't freak out, but...-"

Beep.

Zelda looked down at the slate.

Beep Beep.

She unclipped it and held it up in front of her face.

Beep Beep Beep Beep.

Link stood and drew his sword, unseen by the Princess, who was already preparing the stasis rune to slow the Beast down.

"Zelda, run."

She turned to him, confused.

"No, I need to help-"

"Go!"

"I refuse to leave until I know you're following me!"

His muscles tensed up, with no reply.

"I can't believe you. Promise me you'll be safe, and don't die. Knowing you, you'll only keep the second promise..."

Link held his ground while the princess began running down the long and swirling beach, looking back every few seconds to see if he was still there.

Come on. Don't be shy.

The sound of dirt shuffling about underground slowly increased the closer it got.

Don't be afraid, Link. It's a monster- just like the hundreds you've slain before.

It stopped.

The Watcher was here-

And it was very, very hungry.

"So, what, am I too weak to help you defeat a giant creatures twice our size?" Zelda chuffed to herself. She had chosen a moderately shady spot to pace around in (no insects were hurt in the making of this tale; ok, maybe one or two). She leaned against a tree, her hair getting caught and tangled into the wrinkles of the moss-green bark.

"I don't want to die, yes, but I also don't want to live in a bubble. I can fight! I can protect myself perfectly well!"

A ball of light grew in her palm, which soon shot out angrily towards the ground. A great crashing noise came from it, a crater left in its place; but it wasn't just that. There was a hole running straight through it, large and deep, just big enough for-

The watcher.

Zelda stepped down and further examined it. Something blue was lying at the end, so she crawled in on all fours to see it. She was horrified to see a pile of blue feathers lying by a skeleton- but it wasn't Hylian, nor Gerudo or Sheikah or Goron. It was a Rito.

A chill hung in the air, irritating Link; the clouds blotted out the sun, casting a light shade on the island.

For several moments, the world stopped.

It paused, silence dominating all who stood in it- until it came up from the ground, bringing dirt and sand up with it. The knight dodged the enormous paws of the creature, it's hind legs so thick like tree trunks that they could easily crush a small Hylian like Link. It swung it's claws around in hooks, reaching for him, until he drove the master sword towards the creature.

Missed. He's fast for such a large thing.

Taking a leap back as the monster went in for another attack, he released a flurry of slashes to its stomach; yet it appeared almost unscathed.

What!? How is-

A thick claw clumsily ran down Link's face, leaving a mix of blood and poison on his cheek. He stumbled back, curling up on the floor quite pathetically.

What has it done to me...?

Zelda ran down the beach back to Link to tell him the news.

The creature... the watcher... it's hungry. That's why it's chasing us.

She saw from afar the Beast leaning over the poisoned knight.

"Link!"

It looked up at her.

Ok. I've got his attention.

She readied her powers. The bright light made the monster flinch, which made her that little bit more confident. It bolted towards her.

Stupid creature.

Big mistake;Chapter 4: The Sea and the Slate

The blue and orange glow of the Sheikah Slate cast a grainy reflection onto the sand. Behind its screen, Zelda's green eyes darted from right to left, absorbing every word she read through. Link sat near her at a respectable distance, expected from a knight.

"And... Done! Look- I've set the Sheikah censor to "The Watcher". It registered a new species of... thing while we were getting attacked, even though it didn't get an image, isn't that amazing! This is why I studied ancient tech, it's so ahead of us..."

Link listened to her voice, going on and on. He didn't mind when she did that. He didn't mind when she zoned out into her world of study and ancient tech. It was nice. It made him sure she was happy and alive; and that made him happy- but it wasn't the time to think about that.

Just listen.

He shuffled closer to Zelda to see what she was doing on the slate- bad decision. She looked up from the tablet and turned to see Link; he did the same. Both of them froze, face to face, closer than they'd ever been.

Oh. My. Goddess.

The knight made a stuttering attempt at an excuse, then tried to move back to where he was, but fell backwards off of the log they were sitting on. He really didn't have the will to get back up, too embarrassed and terrified of receiving another awkward reaction from Zelda.

Great.

But, it was quite the contrary; she began sniggering, then burst out into laughter.

"Zelda, I-"

Zelda!? She's the princess, you pathetic excuse for a knight, what was I thinking!

Even better.

WONDERFUL.

The princess took several deep gasps and turned to look down at him.

"Link, did you just- I've never heard you call me that before... you know, it's nice to be called by my actual name. You really don't have to call me "Princess" or "your highness". Really."

"But... You're the princess, and your appointed knight should adress you in that manner. that's what your father said."

Zelda smiled, glad that Link remembered so much already.

"Yes, but that was a hundred years ago. Now, we have to work as a team."

A team... Zelda's diary!

He took the now dry book (which he may or may not have read) from under his belt and held it up.

"Speaking of which... This belongs to you."

Her eyes widened and put her hands over her mouth.

"Link, you... You saved my diary..."

He didn't reply, but gave a smile, hidden from Zelda's point of view.

"Did you read it?"

His hand dropped.

Dammit.

Zelda but giggled, rolling her eyes at him.

"Link, after everything you've done for both me and Hyrule, I guess a peek in my diary isn't a punishable offense. Unless..."

A grin twitched onto her face.

"Go on, Link, that's gonna be tonight's dinner!" Zelda laughed, watching Link splash around in the water, his hands darting up and down in hope of catching a fish.

"I'm trying, Your Highness, they're going rather fast..."

He finally got hold of something. It flopped about trying to escape, but to no prevail; Link's grasp was too strong on it. From the beach, the Princess jumped up and down in excitement.

I do it for her. She seems to be enjoying it, and to be honest... I am, too.

He waded to the shore, where the thin waves drifted in and out. Zelda waited for him there, laughing and clapping- she was happy. Definitely.

"Well done! There. You've paid you're debt. That'll teach you not to go into a girl's personal diary!"

"OK..." Link shivered. "But can I put my shirt back on now?"

"You may."

He sighed, still smiling a little, to Zelda's surprise.

"Today was fun," Said Zelda, chewing on the roasted fish Link had caught earlier.

"Thank you... and it was wonderful seeing you so happy."

"Likewise, your Highness-"

"Please, call me Zelda." She interrupted. She would be sure that by the time they left the Island, he would know that. Zelda; the traditional Royal Family name.

"Well, then... Likewise, Zelda."

"Yes. Yes, calling me Zelda suits you quite nicely. I think... I think that you should keep calling me that, Okay?"

"Yes, Zelda."

"...and don't overuse it." The princess added. Link replied with a laugh, which made her heart jump a little.

He laughed... he has a nice laugh. I like it.

"Link... I want to talk to you about something... please don't freak out, but...-"

Beep.

Zelda looked down at the slate.

Beep Beep.

She unclipped it and held it up in front of her face.

Beep Beep Beep Beep.

Link stood and drew his sword, unseen by the Princess, who was already preparing the stasis rune to slow the Beast down.

"Zelda, run."

She turned to him, confused.

"No, I need to help-"

"Go!"

"I refuse to leave until I know you're following me!"

His muscles tensed up, with no reply.

"I can't believe you. Promise me you'll be safe, and don't die. Knowing you, you'll only keep the second promise..."

Link held his ground while the princess began running down the long and swirling beach, looking back every few seconds to see if he was still there.

Come on. Don't be shy.

The sound of dirt shuffling about underground slowly increased the closer it got.

Don't be afraid, Link. It's a monster- just like the hundreds you've slain before.

It stopped.

The Watcher was here-

And it was very, very hungry.

"So, what, am I too weak to help you defeat a giant creatures twice our size?" Zelda chuffed to herself. She had chosen a moderately shady spot to pace around in (no insects were hurt in the making of this tale; ok, maybe one or two). She leaned against a tree, her hair getting caught and tangled into the wrinkles of the moss-green bark.

"I don't want to die, yes, but I also don't want to live in a bubble. I can fight! I can protect myself perfectly well!"

A ball of light grew in her palm, which soon shot out angrily towards the ground. A great crashing noise came from it, a crater left in its place; but it wasn't just that. There was a hole running straight through it, large and deep, just big enough for-

The watcher.

Zelda stepped down and further examined it. Something blue was lying at the end, so she crawled in on all fours to see it. She was horrified to see a pile of blue feathers lying by a skeleton- but it wasn't Hylian, nor Gerudo or Sheikah or Goron. It was a Rito.

A chill hung in the air, irritating Link; the clouds blotted out the sun, casting a light shade on the island.

For several moments, the world stopped.

It paused, silence dominating all who stood in it- until it came up from the ground, bringing dirt and sand up with it. The knight dodged the enormous paws of the creature, it's hind legs so thick like tree trunks that they could easily crush a small Hylian like Link. It swung it's claws around in hooks, reaching for him, until he drove the master sword towards the creature.

Missed. He's fast for such a large thing.

Taking a leap back as the monster went in for another attack, he released a flurry of slashes to its stomach; yet it appeared almost unscathed.

What!? How is-

A thick claw clumsily ran down Link's face, leaving a mix of blood and poison on his cheek. He stumbled back, curling up on the floor quite pathetically.

What has it done to me...?

Zelda ran down the beach back to Link to tell him the news.

The creature... the watcher... it's hungry. That's why it's chasing us.

She saw from afar the Beast leaning over the poisoned knight.

"Link!"

It looked up at her.

Ok. I've got his attention.

She readied her powers. The bright light made the monster flinch, which made her that little bit more confident. It bolted towards her.

Stupid creature.

Big mistake; she countered its incoming attack, smacking it straight in the face. It stopped dead in its tracks.

Link's wounded. I have to go to him... monster later.

She ran past the watcher while he recovered and slid into a kneel next to her fallen knight. Half of his face was covered in blue and purple swirls, coming from the cut.

By the time she looked back at the watcher, the thing was gone.

Dammit. A chance to kill it gone.


	5. The Cut

Chapter 5: The Cut

"Great. First the Watcher and now... this. Hopefully it won't get worse..."

Zelda dabbed the blood off of Link's cheek with a dark peice of material she had taken from the camp.

"You're lucky it didn't scratch your eye out. Otherwise we would be in the worst situation..."

The knight said nothing, feeling even worse about everything.

 _I failed. Again. I failed Zelda because I was over confident... and distracted. What was she going to say...? Should I ask...?_

 _No._

 _Avoid getting involved to avoid mistakes._

 _No mistakes, no one gets hurt._

 _Especially her_.

"Link, are you well? You look a little... distant."

The knight snapped out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Yeah, just... thinking."

 _Don't ask, don't as-_

"About what?"

He went bright red.

"Nothing important, Your highness- Zelda."

"Oh, come now. If you're thinking it, it must be important."

"Uh... well, I was just... you know... what you were saying before..."

Zelda swallowed.

 _I should tell him when he remembers more_

 _Yes, but he needs to know; you can't keep secrets._

 _But you must, only for now._

 _Fine. Only for now_.

"Also nothing important," She laughed nervously. She wished she could tell him everything, but knew it wouldn't do any good to his fragile mind.

"So, anyway... any new memories?"

"Yes. I've had plenty come back during our journey."

"Like...?"

"Oh, just habits, really. I remeber that every night I would sit by your bedroom door; I was quite paranoid after that Yiga attack. And, when I... I..."

Suddenly, a faint look came across Link's face. He fell to one side, his sandy hair falling across his face.

"Link?" Zelda saw the swirls spreading further, crossing his eyes and touching his lips. He awoke with a jump, his vision refusing to adjust. He realised things were different- darker.

"Curses... it's gone further. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, my vision is a little bit... strange, though."

The Princess gasped. She had seen something Link hadn't. His eyes were a light grey, which is easily set apart from his usual sky blue eyes.

"Link, close one eye..." Nothing changed as he did so.

"And the other?" Still nothing different.

Total darkness.

"Zelda, it's either become night really fast, or..."

"The poison... your blind..."

The Princess tapped at the Sheikah Slate furiously, tears welling up in her eyes. She sat next to Link back at the camp they had made.

"You can't... it can't..." She muttered under her breath between deep gasps of air.

"Zelda, it'll be okay... well find an antidote and meanwhile, my Triforce will guide me."

"And what if we can't find a cure!? It's completely infected your optic nerve... no hearty Elixir is going to fix this."

"And if we can't, I know you will be there by my side, otherwise I wouldn't be doing my job right," He finished with a comforting laugh. Since the diary incident, he had opened up more to Zelda. He knew it was okay.

And if he made a mistake and got hurt, at least he would be with Zelda to help him. At least she would be alive.

"Zelda,"

"Yes?" She replied, still sniffing in the tears.

"I want you to know, that... that I want you to see me as someone you can talk to. I know that after the Calamity I've been really quiet, and that's only because I'm... afraid. I'm afraid of making mistakes and of someone getting hurt because of it... but now I know that it's fine to make mistakes, as long as I have someone who is there to grab my hand as I'm about to fall."

He went red again, this time deeply regretting saying the last part. Zelda wasn't quite sure how to respond to this, and was tempted greatly to really tell him it all, but was still frightened of hurting him-

 _That's it. I'm afraid of making a mistake and hurting someone... Grab his hand. Grab it now, before you fall._

Unconsciously, she moved her hand onto his, which was supporting him as he leaned back onto the sand. Her hands felt soft against his rough sword hand. She didn't notice, lost in thought, until-

"Zelda? Is that you?"

Link knew it was her, but just wanted to give her a heads up towards what she was doing, which she abruptly stopped after realising it.

"Oh my- I- I didn't mean to-"

"No, that's fine, It helps me know you're there."

He's... how is he so calm? He'd usually freak out about now... Is it the poison? No... he can't... It can't be...

"Link, tell me... how do you see- think of- me? As a princess, a friend, or... how?"

He took a moment to think.

"I see you... as someone who's always going to be there, by my side; hopefully not because I'll be blind..."

The atmosphere gained warmth again, like never before.

"Yes, likewise. We'll find a cure. I'm sure we will- I believe it." This reassured the both of them. Everything slowed down for a bit, then regained momentum as Zelda remembered she had the information sheets from the old camp. They were tied together with a thick yet almost broken peice of string. She flicked through them, across diagrams and peices of paper filled with inky writing, until reaching several that each were labelled "The Watcher". They were covered in messy spider diagrams and notes.

 _The watcher- Creature of the ancient Calamity 10,000 yrs ago? -Poison similar to Malice & Dark matter _

_-Cures narrowed down:_

 _Hearty Food_

 _Silent Princess_

 _Fairy_

 _[Native Insect: The Isla Bug-Glows in dark, yellow, healing and darkness-ridding properties- one bite and all poison will be destroyed]_

"This 'Isla Bug' hasn't been crossed out... maybe we just have to find it here. If we heal you, we can be rid of the watcher and finally leave this place safely. Or we can just die here, of course. What do you want?"

"I think I prefer life... let's go find it."

"Then it is decided. We will begin today to find it as soon as possible... it's your choice whether to accompany me or not. I don't mind if you stay here. "

"If you don't see it as a burden, I would like to tag along."

This was uplifting for Zelda. She had always been so used to his presence and, no- it would never be a burden.

"Very well. Here; put your hand on my shoulder and you won't get lost... Hopefully. If we go now, it will soon get dark and it'll be easier to see it."

Link placed his gloved hand on the princess' shoulder. He felt his fingers crease the material as it rose and sank with her gentle breathing.

 _She's here_.

"Off we go!"

It was quiet; a nice quiet, as if there was no monster, or problems, and certainly no Calamities in the last one hundred years. Link heard twigs crunch under their feet, and the chirping of the birds that flew above them.

"It glows yellow... it should become visible soon." Zelda looked down at the paper, the illustration of the bug, it's wings painted a pastel yellow.

"Zelda, if I may... have you tried to consider where the insect's natural habitat might be?"

She signed, scolding herself for not thinking of that.

"And this is why I study tech instead of bugs that live on remote Islands. Yes. I'll do that, Link, thank you. Here it says... ok. It's doesn't say. I guess we'll have tor trust the darkness to reveal them."

 _I never thought I'd say that..._

The two trudged on in the twilight, stumbling over logs that evaded their sight. There was no sign of danger the whole night.


	6. The Dream

Chapter 6: The Dream

 _Where am I?_

 _What is this place?_

 _"Why!? Why did you have to catch me off guard!? You fool, I could've defeated it here and now, but you... you..." Zelda burst into tears, Link lying in front of her with claw marks running across his chest._

 _"Zelda... my princess... my Zelda... stop crying..."_

 _"No! You could've told me earlier, but you told me now and you've... you've ruined it all!"_

 _That hurt him more than the wound._

 _Ruined it all._

 _He knew it. He knew that's where love gets you, and he went there anyway. The kiss. The kiss ruined it and she got distracted right before the battle. It was his fault that she would be left without protection on the island._

 _"Zelda... I'm so sorry... I..." He took several painful gasps of air._

 _"I lo-"_

 _"I know, and you killed yourself because of it! Link, don't die... no..."_

 _The knight took a final breath, leaning close as he could to the Princess._

 _"My Zelda..."_

 _"Link... Link... LINK! NO, PLEASE!_ "

Link sat up. He felt around next to him for the Princess, and was glad to feel her hair running through his fingers. After a night of searching, she had fallen asleep; "Still as the sands", as Urbosa had once said.

 _I can't. I can't ruin this._

He sat cross legged, with the master sword layed across his lap.

 _Ok... not falling asleep is suddenly a very appealing option._

What was the dream? Was it a vision of what will happen or what could happen, or maybe it was how Link felt about her relationship with him...

 _No mistakes, no one gets hurt._

Thinking of it was of little use, so he let it lie for the time being, right in time as he heard something rumbling and felt the ground shaking;

 _It's here._

He took the master sword in his hands and stood, listening and feeling. They were his last hope.

Left.

Right.

Left again. The creature moved this way and that, confusing Link; but he couldn't let that happen. He performed a jump attack before spinning around, hitting... something.

 _Not making that mistake again..._

He listened. There was a quite painful roar coming from behind him where the sword had been stopped, and he hoped it was coming from the creature. Whether it knew he was blind or not, it was certainly hungry.

A dark creature, huh?

Link shot several beams of light at where he thought the watcher was, a great shaking in the ground following.

 _He's fallen._

The usual smell of monsters' purple smoke drifted through the air, and the sound of digging and scratching about joining it as the creature burrowed away. Zelda was still lying behind where it stood, wide awake and stunned.

"L-link, you-"

"Yes, your Highness. It was nothing, please don't worry."

"Oh. Well... ok. I'm sorry I fell asleep last night. You could've regained your sight by now if I hadn't let the bug escape in my sleep... we'll continue today."

"Yes, your Highness."

A confused laugh came from the princess.

"Your highness? I thought we agreed on 'Zelda'."

"No, your Highness, it is not appropriate for an appointed knight to speak in that manner. Not to royalty."

Link sheathed the master sword and sat by her.

"I can't believe you. I can't spend more than a day as a normal person."

"Because you're not a normal person, you're the princess. We must have a strictly profesional relationship."

There was a moment of silence; the deadliest form of anger. It felt like the moment before the timer on a bomb would reach zero, when the threatening sword began attacking. Instead of that, it sizzled out in the form of tears. Link could only hear the sniffling from Zelda, muffled through the material as she put her knees up to rest her head upon.

"We're going backwards!" She cried.

 _What do I do!? I can't tell her I... no... I can't._

"Aren't you going to say anything!?"

"Yes; we should go and try to find the insect again." He felt terrible.; he let her down in a way he thought would keep her happy.

 _Sight first, then monster, then... feelings._

Searching was difficult for Zelda, who's mind was clogged up with thoughts of the night before. She wished she could make things right, but knew that it took two people to do that. After hours of digging around here and there, the little insect fluttered out only to be caught within the delicate yet muddy hands of the princess. Her mind was taken off of the knight temporarily.

"Look! It's here again. Come, come!" She gestured for him to join her in studying the insect, before grabbing it by the wings and putting it up to his neck. The creature brought out two miniscule pincers and pinched it. Link only flinched a little.

"This is wonderful! How do you feel?"

He let the bite take effect before answering.

"Less poisoned."

"Good! I estimate that by... midday you'll be recovered. Come; you need rest."

"I'll be fine, your Highness. We can prepare for our next encounter with the watcher in the meantime."

Zelda sighed, rolling her eyes.

"If you mean training, then yes. I guess there's nothing else we can do."

 _Dear Diary,_

 _We've been on this cursed Island so long I am beginning to know my way by heart. Thankfully, the surrounding sea is teeming with good fish and the trees here blossom with palm fruits. Link was finally becoming more than just a knight, until today... something troubles him. How he is suddenly calling me "your highness" again after getting him to call me Zelda... it seemed to have happened over night. Is it the watcher? Is it me? I doubt even Hylia knows... well, I must leave again to train while Link recovers; we finally found the insect that could heal him and destroy the poison, so we shall wait until it has and then go to defeat the creature. Wish us luck!_

Zeld closed her little diary and stood. She looked over at Link, who was holding his hand up to his face as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight.

 _Good. His sight is coming back._

"Ready, Link?"

He drew the Master Sword and held it in front of him with both hands, and the princess readied her powers.

The ringing of magic smacking against metal echoed over the island. The master sword glinted in the light that shone from Zelda's hands.

"Your highness... if I... may..." Link began between swings of the sword.

"Try... to use your mistakes... as a distraction to your enemy... get something good out of... every bad action..."

Without replying, the Princess shot to one side, missing him intentionally, followed by a more accurate shot that pushed the knight back a little.

"Good. I think you can fight for yourself quite well, your Highness."

"Hm."

 _Now... you have to ask now._

"Link, tell me, and pardon me for being so sudden... why can you not call me Zelda?" He cleared his throat, and for the first time in a long while looked straight into her emerald eyes. He realised how much he really cared for her.

"I...last night, I dreamt that you were left unguarded after I was killed by the watcher. It was my fault. I shouldn't have-"

 _No. Don't say it._

"I shouldn't have distracted you during the battle, so I decided I should keep my distance for now."

Lies.

The definition of a lie is an intentionally false statement. What Link said wasn't a lie... just missing out bits of the truth. Whether it counts or not didn't matter. He would tell her eventually; after they had taken care of the watcher. Eventually.


	7. The Lie

Chapter 7: The Lie

If you have ever kept the truth from someone you love, you know it hurts; not just the fear of telling them, but the pain of keeping it bottled up in you. It is a pain that hits harder than the words you said the moment you lied or missed out the vital details, but you know you could hurt that person or lose their trust if you tell them.

This was the exact situation Link, the Princess Zelda's appointed knight was in. Although he knew that the girl was easily distracted by her studies, she was also easily angered and frustrated by... well, by Link usually; especially now that he was quite pathetically keeping a secret from her. It was rather obviouse, especially with the Triforce of Wisdom.

"OK, your Highness. I think it's almost time"

The two were quietly walking among the trees. Link's sight was fully healed and they were ready to find and kill the beast; more difficult than it sounds. It was sometime after midday, so the sun beat down from high above through the thick canopy.

"Yes, likewise. We have to be alert at all times, though... not that you're never like that." She finished under her breath.

"and, please... call me Zelda. It won't hurt. I promise."

"But it will if we..."

 _Not a lie, just... missing out the truth._

Very convincing thoughts- not.

"...if we keep talking about it."

 _Well saved, Link. Well saved._

"And what if I do keep talking about it? Will it kill me? It's a simple topic, Link; call me by my name. You've done it before, you can do it again."

Then he gave up.

"Yes, Zelda."

"Why the dull tone? Don't you like the name?" She joked.

 _You're not supposed to offend her, you fool!_

"No, no, no, I think it's a really pretty name, for such a pretty girl-"

 _DAMMIT_.

"I'm... thank you, Link. You don't need to be afraid of saying such things, it's nice to hear them from someone like you."

Someone like you... she shouldn't. It shouldn't be like this. It can't... we'll die... I'll die and leave her alone...

"No!"

All of the anxieties finally kicked in, more violent than ever.

"It can't be like this Zelda! Not now... it's not that I don't want it like that, but it'll happen, I'll die and then you'll be left alone here and... and..."

"And what, Link!? I won't let you die, and will continue to fight with you whether you like it or not!" The princess tried to get through the message, but to no avail.

"I can't let you do that, your Highness, do you know how much I worry about you and my job!? Being an appointed knight for the Princess puts so many pressures and boundaries on you, and I have to just get on with life and death!"

"Link, I order you to tell me the truth about the dream you had. Now." Zelda's voice was dangerously quiet. Every word stung like a needle, small and sharp. Link couldn't avoid it now; it had been an order, and he couldn't ignore an order.

"OK. I lied. We kissed. There, I said it. I can only hope I won't die."

He felt her comforting hand on his shoulder. It reminded him of when he was blind, and the trust he felt towards her. Maybe it wasn't supposed to be like that, but it was anyway. Sometimes, breaking the rules is the only way around problems. It felt like the time. The moment it would happen, when-

"I feel that it's watching us..."

The Princess' face went stone cold, her ears perking up to hear the gentle sound of scratching and shuffling from deep underground. The watcher was finally here, and they were ready. It wouldn't be like the other times. They had trained and everything, and by the look in her eyes, Zelda knew Link's problem. She knew what ailed him so, and they were ready to face his demons together.

As it gradually got louder, the atmosphere became tenser, even though the two knew this was the last step. Link knew the monster was already wounded from the last time they had an encounter (or so he thought; at the time he was blind and wasn't quite sure what exactly had happened), but wasn't ready to give up.

 _This is it. Our only chance to leave this place safely_.

Hopefully they could then focus on sending a message back to Hyrule and escaping. Surely a message in a bottle would reach one of the Zoras soon enough...

The grayish fur of the creature was now poking up above the ground, almost completely camoflaged amongst the browns of twigs and dirt. The tension built up in silence, the two already longing for more life as if they'd already lost.

Until it happened.

The watcher, a gargantuan bloodthirsty beast, rose to full height above ground. They didn't even flinch; those types of jerky movements usually become predictable after the second battle.

The creature's dark eyes scanned from right to left, from Zelda to Link and back.

 _He's thinking... he's thinking, "who first?"... Not me and not Zelda. I- We will protect... eachother._

It finally made a move, and it had clearly learnt from its mistakes, starting the battle with a swipe down in front of him rather than to the side; not a move worthy of catching the two off guard. Link reflected the attack with his successfully rescued Hylian Sheild, and tried to distract it with a side slash with the master sword.

"Princess, go!"

She shot a ball of light that landed at the creature's left shoulder, only slightly knocking him back. The knight dodged another attack, gaining the advantage behind its back. As he pierced the sword only inches into the monster's flesh, it almost fell back on top of him, which wouldn't be the ideal situation. It teetered back for several seconds before regaining its full posture and focus. It got down on all fours and began to charge frantically, from this way to that. The two assumed he was confused, or maybe he was just plain stupid, but either way, he quickly moved closer to them. It chose its path; straight for Link. The princess' quick thinking caused her to push him out of the way, replacing him in being hit against a nearby rock. The only thing between life and death was the Triforce, gently pulsing in the suddenly cold sun.

The next thing she remembered was a memory from one hundred years ago. She cried frantically into Link's arms, without any cares of whether he felt the same or not.

After finishing, she looked up, sniffling in any more tears. Her knight looked more concerned.

"Princess,"

"Hm?"

He put out his hand for the Princess- for Zelda. She looked confused.

"My hand... take it."

"Oh. Yes... we should stay focused on getting away. My apologies-"

"No, princess _. Take my hand_."

She knew it didn't just mean "run". She knew what he meant, and this time, she wouldn't deny it. She had one chance before almost certain death- but the chance of that happening is very low, she told herself.

 _I hope..._

She came around, for some reason feeling no pain at all.

 _The Triforce... It saved me. Unless_...

"The Princess' love for her fallen knight awakened her power,

and in the castle the Calamity is forced to cower."

This was a verse the Rito poet, Kass, had once sung after Link saved Zelda. Although it made the moment rather awkward, maybe, just maybe...

it was right.

 _Fight. Fight for it, Zelda._

She stood up and ran towards the watcher, whose claws were being fended off with a now quite battered sheild. Link looked back for a split second and saw the princess shooting what seemed to be meteors of light. The monster curled up for protection, a pathetic move as the knight continued slashing away at the grayish brown fur of its back. It gave up and stretched out again, unable to work out who exactly was hitting him. After several seconds, it fought back and tried to Ganondorf-tennis its way out if being hit with its paws, which waved about in front of its face.

"Link, behind him!" The knight did as she said and held his ground firmly behind it. He lost sight of Zelda, but had no reason to worry.

 _She has a plan._

And a great plan it was; Link pointed the master sword skyward and waited for the Princess to finish the job. Light was then emitted from both sides, for the master sword glowed brightly like no star in the universe, a sacred light given by the goddess.

All of a sudden, Zelda's final hit made the wounded and weary creature-the watcher- to fall back, straight onto the glowing blade held by the chosen one. Like all other monsters in Hyrule, it burst out into clouds of purple smoke.

And that was it.

They had defeated him, but it wasn't the end. Far from it.


	8. The Truth

Chapter 8: The Truth

The fight was over. Link and Zelda both stood alone, waiting for their breathing to slow before speaking. The silence was soon broken by the Princess, who spoke softly like she did to the memory-deprived hero when he first woke up.

"Link..." She began.

"I'll take that hand you offered me a century ago."

He remembered what it felt like to say the words, the rain pelting down onto Zelda's crying face that looked up into his eyes with so much... love. He finally could admit it without anything chasing him away from it.

"Link. I have to say it now, before we move onto escaping this Island. I want to ask you... how do you really feel about me?"

How do I...? What do I say!?

The knight sheathed the master sword and looked out onto the gently bobbing sea. It's blue-green matched the color of her eyes, which he couldn't gather enough courage to gaze into... but he had to. They were like stars on a clear night, you just had to look at them and find the constellations within them, and all of the tales and secrets they held.

"Zelda, I... I'll be right back, stay here!" He felt like he was already smiling, but made another attempt just in case Zelda thought he was flaking out on her again.

The Rito camp was peaceful and held no sense of danger or tension. Link found an old peice of plain paper and a scruffy quill, but all the ink had dried out, so he tried to scratch words into the it instead. With them clearly visible, he folded it it two and began making his way back to the Princess.

"Link! Where were you?"

He handed the letter to her and took several steps back.

MY

PRINCESS

Zelda looked up from it and made eye contact with her knight.

"Link..."

"Zelda, do you love me?" He abruptly said without much thought.

"I... I... yes!" She laughed.

Finally! He finally asked! Wait... what about him-

Before any more words could go though her mind, Link had brought her into a hug which, to his relief, she shakily accepted. He felt her tangled blonde hair running through his fingers, then pulled away.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"What? You didn't scare me, you just surprised me. I've never seen you this... well, this expressive."

"I've never had time to talk to you and not the princess. I... Zelda Hyrule, I love you." He put out his hand for her to hold, but she ignored it. Instead, she went straight in for a kiss, soft and long overdue.

And that was it.

The world kept moving, just a little slower and calmer.

All distractions disappeared for a moment, but soon the focus on escaping returned. The Sheikah Slate was back out, being used by an intruiged princess.

"I'm so close to sending a message back to Hyrule... I can connect to Aunt Purah's slate pedestal to send images, but that's it."

Zelda was taking pictures of the island, the sea, the trees and, secretly, Link. He caught her in the act and laughed.

"Hey, can't a knight get some time off of being stared at?"

"Oh, it's only Purah. How bad could she be?" Seconds later, the Sheikah Slate beeped several times and an image popped up on screen. Purah was holding a sign with big letters drawn onto it in black ink.

I'VE SENT THE FOUR NEW CHAMPIONS TO LOOK FOR YOU. THEY SHOULD ARRIVE WITHIN A WEEK HOPEFULLY.

"Link, look, she's replied!" She turned it around for the knight to read.

"Great. So... we should probably make our way to the other side of the island. That's where we came from, so I'm sure that's Hyrule's direction."

The two collected everything they had (only a sword, sheild and some papers) and made a decision; to go around or across the Island- they would go around it just for safe measures.

Meanwhile, in Hyrule...

Purah scribbled notes down onto her beloved clipboard, seemingly copying something down from a series of letters scattered across the table.

"OK... no sign of them so far, but they're sending pictures from the slate. Looks like they're having a good time, alright..." The young Sheikah herself was unsure whether she was actually truthful or using the sarcasm she adores to use.

Suddenly, another letter popped under the door. She picked it up carefully, it's size, although rather small, contrasting against her tiny child hands. Claw-like dents at the top of the encelope indicated it had been held tightly by a dove of some sort.

When she opened it, however, the neatness of the handwriting was beyond any other she had seen before, swirving gracefully from side to side.

 _Dear Lady Purah,_

 _So far there has been no sign of the Princess Zelda or her Knight attendant, Link. We have traveled for not long, though, so our hopes still stand high, even as Hyrule itself disappeared into the horizon. Thankfully, the weather has held out. The goddess Hylia is surely watching over us as we sail over the Great Necluda Sea. It seems the storms have calmed down after the pair got lost; it has only increased our curiosity!_

 _I hope you have much luck in locating them with that Sheikah device of yours,_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Prince Sidon of the Zora_

 _P.S: You can thank one of the crew members, Agiyeht, for this ink! I had none left and he kindly gave me some._

 _Just saying._

 _Good luck, we believe in you!_

The letter was in the same perky manner as the prince of the Zoras always spoke, with encouragement in his voice and a dashing grin on his face, which Purah could almost see in her head.

 _Never mind; I must focus on finding them_.

On The Champion's Voyager (the name they had given the ship), Teba flew high up to try and see anything in the distance, but to no avail. Only endless blue-green seas waiting to be mapped out.

"Nothing. Just as I thought. One day on this damned ship and still nothing. How did they get there so easily?"

"They have the Triforce, of course. The goddess Hylia is constantly watching over them." The Gerudo chief, Makeela Riju responded calmly. She never seemed worried by anything, which kept the newly selected champions at ease. Prince Sidon stepped forward.

"Hm. And we can only hope Lady Purah received my letter... I am sure we shall find the pair soon. I know we will."

For a bit, no one said anything. The waves splashed against the wooden walls of the ship gently. The moment ended as Yunobo came out of his cabin, holding on to any part of the ship he could reach for dear life.

"G-guys... are we almost there? I... I shouldn't have come... we're gonna sink, for sure... Oh, man..."

"Ah, we will not sink my Goron friend." Agiyeht strolled effortlessly into the group of champions with his hands behind his back.

"We shall arrive safely to find the... hero and his princess."

" _Our_ princess." Corrected Riju.

"Of course," The member of the crew replied with a thin smile.

"Now, how about we all go inside and relax. You're all too tense, and that won't do at all if you want to find them. Come, come, I'll make you some tea..."

They all agreed and led the way into the largest cabin.

It was a well deserved rest, they thought, although... they didn't feel quite well. Whether it was the sea sickness or the tea, it wasn't right. It was quieter, no one spoke, until the tinkling of of a smashing cup came from one side of the room. Teba had fallen fast asleep on his chair, followed by Yunobo, then Riju, and finally Sidon.

Something didn't feel right.

Not one bit.


	9. The Ship

Chapter 9: The Ship

The Champion's Voyager was now moving at high speed across the ocean, strange for a ship owned by the Champions themselves, who weren't keen on rushing their missions. At the wheel was Agiyeht, peering over onto the horizon in hope of seeing an island inhabited by two very lost Hylians.

"Oh, how I wish we could find that island soon, I'm terribly worried about where the princess and her knight are." He told the crew.

"And I can't believe how inconvenient that the champions have fallen ill is... Oh, at this rate, well never find them..."

They responded with sympathy, with all of the "it will be fine's" and "don't worry's".

"Oh, men. I'm so grateful, thank you."

Back on the Island, Link and Zelda, too, were looking into the horizon in hope of a ship drifting majestically across the sea.

"Do you see anything? I can't... but we mustn't lower our hopes. Link?"

The knight was scrolling through images on the Sheikah Slate of the places him and the princess had gone one hundred years ago.

"Was it right?" He whispered, his voice rough.

"What do you mean?"

"Was what I did the right thing to do? As the hero and a knight, I shouldn't have, but as Link... I had to."

"Of course it was right, Link is the priority, ok?" Zelda reassured, gently kissing him on the cheek.

"Listen, they'll find us and we can go home. Maybe we can even clean up some of the the castle! What do you think?"

"Yeah. You win again, princess."

 _You win again._

Back in Hyrule Link would've never let her win. Living in the castle? Unheard of. But now... now things were different.

"You know I... I love you... right?"

"No, I had no idea." Zelda replied sarcastically. The knight chuckled slightly.

 _MY_

 _PRINCESS._

Sidon, Riju, Yunobo and Teba were beginning to come around. They felt the ship less swaying than it was shaking, as it was now almost flying over the blue Necluda Sea. The Zora Prince was the first to awaken. He shook the others awake to join him in trying to open the wooden door, but to no avail.

It had been locked.

"What happened?" Riju asked.

"I'm ashamed to say that I've no clue." Replied Sidon, regaining his breath. The young Goron champion suddenly created a great thundering bump as he rolled into the door, grasping the attention of everyone else in the room.

"Nope... nothing can get through. Not even me."

"But the door is only wood... Yunobo should have got through. It must be magic of some sorts... it must." The young gerudo put her long ear up to the door and heard all of the commotion up on deck. This is what she heard.

"Of course we shall. They are bound to be somewhere out at sea. They cannot be nowhere, after all!"

"Of course, Captain, and when we find them?"

"We will bring them back to Hyrule, of course!"

She pulled herself away from the door, sighing.

"Nothing. It seems completely normal; he is eager to find them."

There was nothing else to be said, only ideas to be though of. Agiyeht seemed to be a normal Hylian with good intentions and a genuine will to find the lost pair.

Zelda held her knees tightly to her chest as she looking up into the navy sky, dotted with stars like white pearls. Link lay asleep next to her, his sandy hair falling delicately onto his face. This reminded her of a song her mother used to sing her as a child-what was it- Zelda's lullaby? Yes. Zelda's Lullaby was its name. The lyrics stuck with her through everything, even when she said her final farewells to her knight as Impa, Purah and Robbie took him away to be healed in the Shrine of ressurection. She began singing it to herself, and it went a little bit like this:

" _Stars all bright, bringing forth the night,_

 _Just like shadows under the light,_

 _You can shine, Hyrule's sheild divine,_

 _All will turn out fine..._

 _Rest, in you're bed you'll lay,_

 _I'll keep the dark away,_

 _Every night, every day we're one,_

 _Stay always next to me,_

 _Stronger then we will be,_

 _Love conquers darkness every age..._

 _Come, my love, close your eyes for now,_

 _I can hear your heart beating loud,_

 _Whether it be me or the world we see,_

 _It can be the key_..."

"You have a beautiful singing voice."

Link was wide awake, his eyes reflecting brightly in the sliver moonlight.

"Oh! You're... awake. I sorry to disturb you, I got carried away and-" before saying any more, Link went in for another kiss.

"It's ok. It was nice."

"Thank you..."

Only the sound of restless crickets occupied the air, chirping out of tune yet sweet melodies. It was nice. It was nice to be somewhere different, yet under the same beautiful sky. Sometimes, getting lost is the only was to find what you're looking for. The only way to be found.

"Link, look!" In the distance, there was a little shillouette bobbing on the sea. Whatever it was, it was no thing of natural creation.

"Is it...? No, it can't be! It's a ship!" Zelda began hopping up and down, like that of an exited child.

"Look, men! Land! What a shame that the poor champions aren't well enough to see it..."

Everyone crowded around one side of the ship, tilting it ever so slightly.

"He's right!"

"Look over there!"

"That's land!"

"Do you think they're on that island?"

Agiyeht spun the wheel until they were facing directly towards the small island. The four champions, still trapped in the cabin, almost fell over as it swayed from side to side

"Let's go and find out!" The Hylian laughed, lifting the spirits of all who were losing their patience. He always did; almost everyone loved him for his go-lucky attitude to life. Even though he was new to the crew (and temporarily captain), he seemed to enchant all who spoke to him. All exept for the Champions, of course, who were now beginning to suspect something was wrong with the self-proclaimed Hylian.

Makeela Riju put her hands on her hips and tried to assess the situation.

"OK. No windows, the door is locked with an ancient Sheikah sealing spell, and the princess and her knight are lost."

Prince Sidon joined in.

"-And the current captain is possibly plotting against us. Or he's just holding a very inconvenient grudge."

All the champions present agreed that they would break out before jumping to conclusions. How would the do that? Well, as you may already know, ancient Sheikah magic is powerful, like shielding, transformation, transportation and healing spells, but they are also fragile and some can break easily, like, you guessed it, sealing spells. Although they can last for thousands of years if untouched, if tampered with in the correct manner, they can be broken. To break through a sealed door, for example, you would have to simply open the door, but you can't open a door if it's locked, can you, now?

This is what they did to get through it.

"Almost... got... it..." Teba was holding one of his arrows, moving it about so precisely that soon, a muffled click came from the door.

"Great. Now all we have to do is break the spell."

Riju moved a shaky hand towards the door knob. She twisted it, and pushed it open quietly as not to catch the attention of anyone.

To all the chapions' surprise, the ship was now almost touching the land.

"Zelda... Zelda, I really need you to wake up right now..."

The Princess Zelda sat up on the sand, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The first thing she saw was the wooden Wall of an overly-sized Hylian ship.

"The Champions... they're here!" Both excitement and awe filled the air, although they couldn't see anyone on the ship. It finally came to a stop just before touching the sand, still bobbing up and down on the thin

Agiyeht peered down towards the beach, glad to see that two Hylians, a girl and a boy, we're staring up at the wooden beast.

"Hey! You must be the princess Zelda, and you, the appointed knight! Fancy meeting you here! Wait, I shall come down for you, your Highness."

Agiyeht threw a rope over the fence on the edge of the deck and slid down, his thick gloves creating a deep rasping sound as he did. He landed with a splash in the shallow water and began running towards the two.

"Where are the champions? I thought they were coming?"

"Oh... I'm afraid they fell terribly ill during our journey. I'm sure they will recover soon, though."

Zelda craned her neck to try and see onto the Champion's Voyager, but to no avail; it was much too high up to see anything.

"Well, I guess we must get on our way. Shall we?"

"Actually... I was hoping you could show me around the island, now that you've been here so long. We can even try to pinpoint it on my map, or better, on that tablet of yours!"

The Princess gladly agreed (even though her Triforce was glowing again), as the Captain's tone was so genuine and enthusiastic. Link, however, paid full attention to his Triforce. It glowed alike Zelda's, which meant something was going to happen. And it wouldn't necessarily be a good thing.


	10. The Blade

Chapter 10: The Blade

The midday sun beat down onto the old Rito campsite. Zelda went around, showing the papers that she had collected from the ground to Agiyeht.

"...and this one- I'm sorry if I'm taking too long; I'd like to get all of them before leaving- is about... hm... I think it's about the plants here, actually. You see here, the diagrams of the palm fruits here and the wild berries that grow here."

"Yes, I do see! Isn't this so much more interesting than Hyrule?"

"Well, it's new, I suppose." Replied the princess with a shrug. Her knight followed behind, tightly gripping the hilt of the Master Sword.

"Oh, Link, why do you need to have your sword out of its sheath? Isn't that where it belongs?" His last words went cold as Link's silent stare intensified.

"Hm. Anyway, princess, may you join me in exploring the jungle here? It seems so exiting!"

Zelda looked over in the direction of the ship and then back to Agiyeht.

"Very well, but we must get back to Hyrule as soon as possible."

"Of course, princess."

They began to walk towards the jungle, carefully stepping between twigs and mushrooms that sprung out of the ground.

"Isn't this the very best? So much better than that ruined castle of yours."

This, for some reason, made Zelda a little uneasy.

"Well, you know what they say, there's no place like home..." She finished with a nervous laugh, hoping for a chance to change the topic.

"But anyway, we must hurry. I would like to see the champions soon."

No reply.

"Are... are they well? W-what happened?" Her voice became afraid, even if she tried pushing the fear down.

"Nothing. They're _just ill_. Ok?"

"I think I'd like to go and see them myself, thank you. It's been lovely, but Hyrule awaits my return, if that's fine with you-"

Agiyeht drew Zelda in close by her collar. She felt his breath against her face, warm and dry. Withing hardly no time at all, the captain of the Champion's Voyager felt the cold touch of metal against his back. Link was ready to thrust the Master Sword straight through his heart.

"Let her go." His words already stabbed into the souls of any living thing watching.

"How about... If you don't move away, I kill her."

The knight noticed the silver glint of a dagger positioned between Agiyeht and Zelda, ready to stab the princess.

He immediately stepped away.

"Good. Now, this is how things are going to go. I'm going to take this beauty onto my ship, and you're staying here."

"Just like that? Back to Hyrule?"

"Oh, no, boy. _I'm_ going back to Hyrule."

On the inside, Link became weak, but he couldn't show it. For Zelda.

"No. I have a better idea. Let's fight for her. If I win, we take your ship and leave, but if you win... you can take us both-"

"And I will hand over Hyrule." Finished Zelda.

"I promise."

Agiyeht let go of the princess. She knew Link would always win, and if he faltered, she would be there to help him win. She would save him.

"Very well." He sighed.

"It begins... now."

The knight dived in with the master sword, reflected by a silver weapon. A Yiga stood in his place, a dagger in one hand and a vicious sickle in the other.

Link had his suspicions from the beginning, but didn't want to jump to conclusions, which he tended to do wrongly alot of the time. So this was his fight. This was his way of saying thank you to the Princess, who he looked at with piercing blue eyes every time she tried to intervene.

The fight went on, metal clashing loudly over the island. The Yiga flickered around the master sword as it stabbed at him, teleporting right to left and back again. This began to bore Link, so he performed a spin attack, which ended up cutting Agiyeht across the chest; he flinched, moving his hand up to feel the blood seeping through the tear the sacred blade had made in his Yiga uniform. He fell to the ground.

"You have skill, don't you. Why don't you end me now, huh? It would be better for the both of us. You can run away with your beloved princess and rule Hyrule together; it would be your perfect world, just the two of you protecting Hyrule as a team. Come. Do it."

Link walked over to the Yiga, Master Sword in hand. He picked his up by the collar and brought him near to his face. The temptation of the perfect Hyrule took over, and he put the tip of the blade to Agiyeht's heart.

"I'm sorry. I will tell your people of how you died with honour."

As he was about to thrust the sword in, the Yiga pushed his dagger straight through Link.

"Oh, well. It's a shame I didn't have time to aim for your heart, but I guess that'll make you _suffer for longer_."

He dropped the knight to the ground, walking over to the Princess, who's face became wet with tears.

"Link!" She cried, kneeling by the wounded boy.

"Come, girl. It's time to leave. Hyrule does await, does it not?"

Her anger finally showed through.

"No!" A ball of light grew in her palm, shooting violently towards Agiyeht. The Champions overheard the cries, and felt it was their turn to intervene.

"Princess!" They climbed down from the ship.

"Wonderful! You escaped. What luck. You know, he can be saved. He won't die yet, if you get him the right treatment in time, that is. Let's see who gets there first, shall we?"

Before he could finish his sentence, Riju clicked her fingers and a ring of lightning lit up around the Yiga.

"Hey, listen, I won. That's it. It's over."

"Not until you're dead!" Teba let go an arrow from his falcon bow, landing it in Agiyeht's shoulder.

"Yunobo, now!" The Goron began rolling towards the Yiga, knocking him over violently. An orange sheild formed around him at impact.

This time, the man in red didn't get up. He layed on the ground, his mask cracked.

"He's... he's dead. He's not breathing." But there was no time to think about what was, rather what would be. Link was lying in Zelda's arms, blood coming through his tunic and into the sandy ground.

"Zel... da..." It was just like the dream, but... better. She softly kissed him, running her fingers through his hair.

"You'll live... Sidon has Mipha's grace, remeber?"

"OK..." He wheezed.

"Thank you. All of you..."

"Safe you're energy. Let's go."

They boarded the ship with the help of Revali's gale, and lay Link in one of the beds.

Back to Hyrule. Finally, after all this time, they were heading back to Hyrule.


	11. The Kingdom

Chapter 11: The Kingdom

Prince Sidon sat next to Zelda by Link's bed. A blue cloud glowed over the half-healed wound.

"There we go. It will probably finish healing after a couple more weeks. Thank you, Zelda, and thank _you_ Mipha."

It dissipated into the air, a sense of kindness replacing it. The knight sat up, taking the princess' hand.

"Thank you, Sidon. If it weren't for you two, I'd be dead by now."

There was a moment where they all just accepted where they were and the current situation. This was nothing like before. In fact, it was better. Everything was better.

There was no Calamity, no Watchers and certainly no Agiyehts. It was just Hyrule. Yes, the people made mistakes, but didn't all Hyrulians? The Rito, the Goron, the Gerudo, the Zoras and the Hylians all made mistakes; but this is what gave them personality, what gave them... love.

And it was lovely.

 **Phew! The end of another story. Or is it? There's a sequel I'm working on, so follow me to get a notification when it's released! Thank you so much for reading, and Sav'orq for now!**

 **-Gold**


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